European planemaker Airbus is to invest more than 1 billion euros (US$1.3bn) to replace the engines on its A320 single-aisle planes. The new, less noisy engines will be 15% more fuel efficient and emit less CO2.
Paul Sheridan, aviation analyst with Ascend Worldwide, said Airbus is doing the upgrade "because their airline customers want them to do it and because they are worried about the competition from Canada's Bombardier CSeries and from the Chinese-made Comac C919."
According to the Association of European Aviation Industries, "technological leadership is becoming the major competitive differentiator. It is an advantage that Europe enjoys today, [but] it is not guaranteed for our future without sustained investment."
BBC reports that planes made by rivals in China, Russia and Canada threaten Airbus' and Boeing's dominance. |
